The testing arena was a sprawling fake city—crumbling buildings, flickering streetlights, and a vibe like the world was already half-dead. Midnight stood on a platform above the crowd, her leather bodysuit glinting under the floodlights, every curve screaming trouble. Her whip cracked the air, shutting up the chattering teens below. Zion's eyes lingered on her, but he wasn't here to drool. Not yet.
"Listen up, brats," Midnight said, voice sultry but sharp, like a blade wrapped in silk. "This is UA's selection test. You're heroes-in-training, so act like it. Your job's to save this city from giant robots tearing it apart. Rescue civilians, neutralize threats, show us you've got what it takes. Rule one: no fighting each other. You're not villains. Break that, and you're out. Test starts in five. Don't disappoint me." She smirked, licking her lips, and half the students forgot how to blink.
Zion tuned out the hero bullshit. Saving people? Please. He was here to stack power, and this test was his hunting ground. His All-Seeing Eye itched to scan the crowd, so he let it loose, picking through the students like a vulture eyeing carrion.
First up, a lanky kid with twitchy legs, bouncing like he couldn't stand still. Zion focused, and the system lit up:
<
Name: Paul
Age: 15
Quirk: Lightspeed (Low-Level)
Special Ability: None
Energy: 12
Endurance: 10
Strength: 5
Appeal (Attraction to Zion): 01
>
Lightspeed. Not top-tier, but fast enough to dodge trouble and close gaps. Useful. Zion marked him.
Next, a stocky girl with knuckles like sledgehammers, cracking them like she was itching to punch something. His vision sharpened:
<
Name: Lea
Age: 16
Quirk: Ironclad
Special Ability: None
Energy: 8
Endurance: 15
Strength: 14
Appeal (Attraction to Zion): 25
>
Ironclad. Her arm could morph into steel—tough as hell, strong enough to crush bone. That was a keeper. Zion's grin twisted. Two targets, one test. Time to play.
The buzzer screamed, and the arena erupted into chaos. Robots the size of trucks smashed through walls, their red eyes scanning for "civilians" to "attack." Students scattered, some blasting Quirks, others scrambling to look useful. Zion didn't give a shit about the score. He had Paul in his sights.
The kid was a blur, zipping between rubble to yank a dummy civilian from debris. Zion jogged after him, keeping it casual, like he wasn't a predator stalking prey. "Yo, Paul, right?" he called, flashing a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Need a hand?"
Paul skidded to a stop, panting, suspicion flickering in his gaze. "Uh, sure, man. You got a Quirk for this?"
Zion shrugged, closing the gap. "Something like that. Let's move that big-ass chunk over there." He pointed at a slab of concrete, stepping close. Paul nodded, still twitchy, and they grabbed it together. Zion's hand brushed Paul's arm—barely a touch, but enough. All for One hummed in his veins, and he felt it: Lightspeed, ripping out of Kael and into him like a shot of adrenaline.
Paul gasped, stumbling, his legs buckling like they forgot how to move. "What the—?" A robot swung a steel arm, and Paul, too slow now, took it square in the chest. He hit the ground hard, groaning, out cold. Zion didn't look back. One down.
Lea was next. She was in the thick of it, her right arm gleaming silver, smashing a robot's leg into scrap. Zion slid in, dodging a falling beam. "Damn, girl, you're killing it!" he shouted, laying on the charm. "Lemme back you up."
She glanced at him, skeptical but flattered, her cheeks flushing. "Fine, just don't slow me down." They charged a bot together, her steel fist crunching metal while Zion "helped" lift a girder. His fingers grazed her wrist, and Ironclad flowed into him, heavy and solid. Rhea staggered, her arm reverting to flesh mid-swing. The bot's claw grazed her, sending her sprawling, blood trickling from a gash. She wasn't getting up anytime soon.
Zion flexed his new powers, a rush like nothing else. Lightspeed made his nerves sing; Ironclad felt like he could punch through a wall. He was about to hunt for more when he caught it—a shadow trailing him. Midnight. Her scent, that faint, sleepy mist, lingered in the air. She was watching, and not from the platform.
He spun, locking eyes with her across the chaos. She didn't flinch, just tilted her head, her violet hair spilling over one shoulder. Zion's gut told him to bolt, but his brain—and something lower—had other ideas. He sauntered over, weaving through the fight like it was a Sunday stroll.
"Something up, teach?" he asked, voice low, dripping with that infinite appeal he knew she couldn't ignore.
Midnight's lips curved, half-smirk, half-challenge. "You're slick, kid, but I saw you with those two. They didn't just trip." Her whip tapped her thigh, rhythmic, teasing. "What's your game?"
Zion stepped closer, close enough to catch the heat off her skin. "Game? I'm just trying to pass, same as them." His eyes roamed her, shameless—her bodysuit hugging every inch, her cleavage a goddamn invitation, her legs begging to be touched. "But I gotta say, you're making it hard to focus."
She laughed, soft and dangerous, not backing up. "Flattery's cute, but it won't save you if you're cheating." Her eyes narrowed, but there was a spark—his appeal was working, cracking her cool.
"Cheating?" Zion leaned in, voice dropping to a growl. "Nah, I'm just… hungry." The air between them thickened, her scent wrapping around him like a drug. He could feel her waver, her breath hitching just enough to notice. "You ever wonder what it's like to let go, Midnight? With someone who doesn't play by the rules?"
Her smirk faltered, replaced by something hotter, hungrier. She didn't pull away, not even when his hand brushed her arm, testing the waters. The arena faded—robots, screams, all of it—until it was just them, locked in a moment that felt like it could ignite.
Zion's grin was pure sin. "I don't wanna just pass this test," he said, voice raw. "I wanna fuck you hard, right here, and make you scream louder than this whole damn city."
*****